The signaling cascades of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, calcineurin/NFATc4, and PI3K/Akt/GSK3, are believed to participate in endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced cardiac hypertrophy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether KMUP-1, a synthetic xanthine-based derivative, prevents cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by ET-1 and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. We found ...

Nerve injury induces long-term changes in gene expression in the nociceptive circuitry and can lead to chronic neuropathic pain. However, the transcriptional mechanism involved in neuropathic pain is poorly understood. Nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFATc) is a transcriptional factor regulated by the Ca(2+)-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin. In this study, we determined nerve inju...

Breast cancer is a serious health problem worldwide in women. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs of 18–25 nucleotides in length that post-transcriptionally modulate gene expression. MiR-490 has been reported as a tumor suppressor and oncomiR microRNA in breast cancer with two separate targets, NFAT and Rho. NFAT is one of the targets for miR-490 but the relationship between hsa</e...

Neuronal L-type calcium channels contribute to dendritic excitability and activity-dependent changes in gene expression that influence synaptic strength. Phosphorylation-mediated enhancement of L-type channels containing the CaV1.2 pore-forming subunit is promoted by A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) that target cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) to the channel. Although PKA increases L-type...

OBJECTIVE Downregulation of sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) expression is a critical marker of pathological myocardial hypertrophy. The effects of calcium-dependent signaling and of contractile activity on the regulation of myocardial SERCA2a expression remain unclear. The present study dissociates effects of calcium-dependent signaling through calcineurin (CN) and calmo...

Cell membrane-associated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) translocates into a perinuclear/nuclear location upon stimulation, where it complexes with mRNAs. Treatment with radiation and cisplatin decreases the amounts of mRNAs present within this complex. Gene array analyses of mRNAs in complex with immunoprecipitated nEGFR revealed significant enrichment of different mRNA species compare...

Ingestion of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is known to enhance athletic performance, probably via increased extracellular buffering capacity. At present, little is known about the direct effects of NaHCO3 on myogenesis, especially in vitro. Here, we examined the effects of NaHCO3 and the combined effects of NaHCO3 and continuous mild heat stress (CMHS) at 39°C on the differentiation of human skel...

Loss of the Merlin tumour suppressor causes abnormal de-differentiation and proliferation of Schwann cells and formation of schwannoma tumours in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2. Within the mature peripheral nerve the normal development, differentiation and maintenance of myelinating and non-myelinating Schwann cells is regulated by a network of transcription factors that include SOX10, ...